interior decorating

In light of the fact that it’s spring and we are beginning to see colors pop up all around outside, we have begun to notice all of the wonderful colors that surround us inside the Furnish Green showroom. It is easy to get overwhelmed, so here is a quick guide to help you approach the difficult task of deciding what colors to use in your newly decorated space.

Red – Resonant and stimulating. Using the color red increases heart rate and appetite. It may even increase your level of passion. There is an old interior decorating secret that says to put at least one red item in every room of the house.

Orange – Energetic and vibrant. Decorating with the color orange gives a space a fun and creative atmosphere. It brings positive vibes to any room. You may think orange is out of style, but there is something about this color that will always be hip and cool.

Blue – Cool and comforting. Blue works the exact opposite way of red. Use it to lower the heart rate and to decrease your appetite. It can help create a space for work and meditation. It is the best color to use in a room that receives a lot of sunlight that needs to be cooled down.

Purple – Luxurious and expensive. Purple has a long reputation for symbolizing royalty and power. The bluer shades of purple have a more calming effect that brings a sense of mystery to a room, while the redder shades attract a lot more attention and dominate a space.

Fall is upon us and it’s feelin’ good! So we thought, in honor of the season and the upcoming Halloween holiday, we’d throw some decorating inspiration your way.

You could go with a classic look, relying on the standard pumpkin, gourd, dried leaves combo, utilizing autumnal shades throughout. Or you could opt for a creepy vibe, getting playful and paying homage to the weird, supernatural nature of the month of October.

Either way, the FG showroom has your fall decorating needs, and since most of the items featured are not up on the site, you’ll have to stop by to peruse the selection.

We’re very excited to have launched an updated version of furnishgreen.com last week! Although we’re still working through some minor kinks, we hope to have brought you a new and improved Furnish Green shopping experience where you can find everything that your vintage-loving heart desires.

The site offers better functionality, in the sense that it should be much easier for you, our lovely customers, to be able to find exactly what you’re looking for.

We’ve maintained the straightforward simplicity of our previous website, while making it more accessible.

But do not fear, our product is not changing and neither are we! So let us know what you think!

We just got a great collection of mounted antlers in the showroom! Nice and small (measuring between 7″ and 9″ wide), they won’t be overwhelming but rather will serve as a bit of rustic charm. And they’re only $28 apiece! In-store only, so come take your pick.

My name is Marielle, and while you may know me as a Furnish Green employee, I’m a Furnish Green regular customer as well, which is probably to be expected… I’ve always loved vintage furniture. Growing up with my mom, who is an avid garage-saler and thrift store shopper, made me feel right at home at Furnish Green from the beginning.

I’ve lived in Midtown East Manhattan for about 3 years in a neighborhood known as Turtle Bay, and after working at FG for 2 years, I’ve acquired a good bit of stuff. My apartment is small, but the ceilings are high and it’s on the fifth floor of a walk-up building so it’s a pretty pleasant bright space.

As far as my design style goes, I definitely have a tendency toward the feminine and ornate with a serious focus on (possible obsession with) flowers… alive, dried, painted… you get the point.

Lampshade turned jewelry display and organization.

It’s a girly space, but I like to think that I haven’t gone overboard. I’ve recently started incorporating a bit of brass to offset the wood and upholstered pieces, particularly in my living room, i.e. the bold brass and glass coffee table and the compact and convenient brass record rack.

More FG stuff: The stained glass swag lamp above my kitchen island (featured above) is definitely one of my favorite, and earliest acquired, FG items. The rustic wooden clothing rack in my bedroom (featured below) was a necessary addition to the apartment, considering my rapidly growing wardrobe and the limitations of only one closet.

Since working at Furnish Green and getting a chance to see all of the furniture styles that are out there, I’ve become more selective about what I like and what works in my home. There are definitely some pieces that I’m looking to replace, but it’s nice to be able to wait it out and find just the right fit.

I hope you enjoyed getting a brief glimpse into my home! Stay tuned for future posts, and email us at furnishgreen@gmail.com for a chance to have your space featured!

As Spring arrives, classes come to an end… Whether you’re moving off campus or just looking to add a bit of character to a typically stark and bland dorm room, we’ve got you covered! AND we’re looking to save all of you impoverished students a bit of money by offering 22% off everything in our showroom!

For our freshest Dwellings issue, we take you to yet another new neighborhood with yet another stylin’ apartment. Nikolai resides in the West Village where the buildings are a bit lower, and a sense of history permeates the narrow meandering streets… The perfect place for a Fall FG Dwellings trip in our opinion.

The building, located in the historical West Village, has plenty of history itself, as it was constructed circa 1845. Walk up the four flights to find the apartment, a compact space with original crown molding and about a hundred antique locks on the front door.

Nikolai relocated from California and bounced around the many neighborhoods of Manhattan. Knowing that he had always wanted to end up in the West Village, Nikolai was pleased to move into his current apartment 3 years ago. He found Furnish Green on Yelp around the same time, giving him the opportunity to make the place his own. The apartment consists of a bedroom, kitchen, living room/office space and a bathroom. When working with a smaller space, it’s important to optimize your dimensions, and Nikolai has definitely achieved that, effectively utilizing the walls and vertical space.

Having an affinity for older styles and vintage furniture, Furnish Green was the perfect stop for him. The kitchen contains a couple of FG cabinets and a rustic kitchen table with iron base that works perfectly in the small space. His favorite purchase though (and ours) is a beautiful ornate shabby white desk with a unique double pedestal/trestle base that features a carved wood harp detail in the center. A real looker.

Some other vintage accents in the apartment are a couple of sturdy rustic folding chairs in the kitchen that once belonged to an armory and a great trunk from the 1930s that functions as his coffee table. (Cool tidbit: He actually picked up this trunk from the set of “Kill Your Darlings” when he worked as an assistant to the director, and the trunk may have been bled on by Michael C. Hall after a minor accident on set involving a broken wine glass).

Nikolai describes his design style as “shabby chic” with a mostly black, white and brown color palette. He explains that, being from Woodside, California, he has a strong inclination to incorporate some “woodsy” vibes into the space, and it shows. He has plenty of raw wood, an “in the woods” sort of drapery covering his bedroom wall and an attention-grabbing petrified wood tree stump side table.

As a filmmaker in New York City, Nikolai clearly pays attention to detail not only in the design of his apartment, but in his career as well. He has been writing and directing since he was 16 years old, and his first feature length film, “Before,” came out this year! His second will be coming out next year, so stay tuned. You can take a look at his work here.

some of Nikolia’s polaroid shots

vintage camera collection

As always, it’s nice to get a chance to learn a bit more about our customers and to see how our pieces have gotten acclimated to their new homes; it’s like visiting old friends.

Here are some more photos of the space. Enjoy.

some wall-mounted moose and deer, hand made by Nikolai

We hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of our Dwellings series! Stay tuned for future posts, and let us know if you’d like us to feature your space!

One Saturday morning in February, a gentleman by the name of Matthew Cohen came into the Furnish Green showroom. A designer from Toronto and founder of the Matthew Cohen Design Collective, Cohen has spent the past two years working on a very special project: designing the New York branch of the Centre for Social Innovation. To make his vision a reality, Cohen aimed to use existing materials and repurposed items. Furnish Green became one of his sources, and he purchased a varied assortment of pieces from us. From industrial shelving units to a ceramic stallion’s head, all of these pieces would come together in one unique space.

The Centre for Social Innovation was founded 10 years ago in Toronto, with a simple yet revolutionary philosophy. It’s a place where independent small businesses can share space and resources, and work alongside each other to build relationships. All companies working through CSI are involved in social enterprises. About two years ago, CSI started planning for a new branch in New York City. One of the first steps was finding someone to design the new space. Cohen was working in Toronto at the time, designing venues for various non-profits. CSI took notice of him and his work, and soon he was brought on to oversee the design of the new CSI branch in New york. Since then, Cohen has been working tirelessly to turn the New York CSI into what it is today.

CSI has three locations in Toronto, and the New York branch is the newest addition. Since its opening in May 2013, the New York CSI has grown to accommodate over 180 organizations. CSI also rents spaces to outside companies for various events.

A few weeks ago, Cohen was kind enough to give us a tour of the new site in Chelsea. Tucked in an imposing converted warehouse building, the new CSI is a bustling space with an urban aesthetic. Everything inside was made with existing materials, and built by local craftsmen and contractors. It’s a lively, inviting place, with a strong sense of community.

A number of Furnish Green accent pieces, from vintage globes to geometric sculptures, were used to decorate the charming lounge area, one of the first things you see upon entering CSI. This eclectic look was consistent throughout.

Some old tool drawers from Furnish Green help to keep them organized and maintain the colorful yet industrial style.

Young professionals take advantage of all that CSI has to offer. Companies can rent offices for the long term, while many individuals use the “Hot Desk” system: pay for an allotment of hours, and come to work at any desk that’s open.

Lighting is clearly an important design aspect of the new CSI where individuals are developing all sorts of “bright” ideas. These fixtures were particularly striking.

This coat rack wall was made with repurposed materials from an old nunnery.

All cabinets and shelves in the shared kitchen area were taken from a run-down mill.

These are just a few of the many repurposed design elements at CSI. Some of the rooms are decorated with vintage wallpaper from Second Hand Rose. There are large work tables made with old freight elevator doors from Carnegie Metal. Desks made from felled trees were provided by NY City Slab, and some other wood surfaces were built by Brooklyn Woods. Through its design, CSI has strongly supported local businesses and artisans.

The goal of the Centre for Social Innovation is to revolutionize the way we do business; to be more conscientious of each other and the world we live in, and to make resources available to everyone. After seeing all that goes on at CSI, it’s safe to say that they will have a very positive impact on the world as they continue to grow. To learn more about the Centre for Social Innovation, visit nyc.socialinnovation.org.

Are you walls looking bland? In New York apartments, we’re not exactly encouraged to paint our stark white walls. Our living spaces can feel a bit sterile. It’s time to make your place feel more like a home and to adorn those walls. Furnish Green has got plenty of wall hangings in an assortment of styles, from Shabby Chic to Mid Century Modern. Some artwork will bring a pop of color to a room that may otherwise be relatively dull, while hanging mirrors will bring depth to a flat wall and make a room seem larger and more open. Even empty vintage wood frames can give life to a blank wall.

We have wall hangings available for purchase online, but some of the artwork does not make it onto the website so you’ll have to come check out the walls of our showroom. Take a look at our selection HERE and don’t forget that we’ve got plenty more decorative pieces that can help you change the confines of your apartment into works of art.

If you are visiting our shop by car, the closest parking lot is Central Park on the SW corner of Broadway & 31st St.

About Us

Furnish Green is Manhattan’s local vintage furniture store. We hunt for unique vintage and antique pieces and bring 5-15 items into our showroom in New York City every weekday. Our philosophy is to provide creative local consumers with unique, well-made, long-lasting and reasonably priced pieces of furniture so that they can design their own spaces in a meaningful way.